Telangana Rakshana Sena president K Kavitha has urged the Election Commission to extend the deadline for voter registration for the upcoming Graduate MLC elections in the state.
Kavitha met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy at BRKR Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday, November 2, and submitted a representation seeking an extension of the registration deadline.
The current deadline for graduate voter registration is November 6. Kavitha requested that the process remain open until the issuance of the election notification and completion of the nomination process.
Kavitha Links Request to Ongoing SIR Exercise
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Kavitha said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise would continue until November 21. She questioned the decision to close graduate voter registration on November 6 while the revision exercise was still underway.
According to Kavitha, the Chief Electoral Officer had agreed to consider the proposal to extend registration until the nomination process is completed.
Calls Graduate MLC Elections an Opportunity for New Parties
Kavitha described the Graduate MLC elections as an important opportunity for emerging political parties to present their policies and agenda to voters.
She appealed to Gen Z voters and graduates to participate actively in the elections and take the electoral process seriously.
She also argued that requiring fresh graduate voter registration before every election places a considerable burden on candidates. She said her party would urge the Election Commission to review the existing system.
Raises Concerns Over Institutional Influence
Kavitha expressed concern over owners of major educational institutions entering the Graduate MLC electoral contest. She alleged that some were facilitating large-scale voter registrations within their institutions, potentially creating an uneven electoral contest.
She called on the Election Commission to closely examine such practices to ensure a fair election process.
Seeks Faster Registration of Telangana Rakshana Sena
Kavitha also informed the CEO that the registration of the Telangana Rakshana Sena was still pending with the Election Commission of India.
She requested the CEO's assistance in expediting the process.
The proposed extension of graduate voter registration will depend on the Election Commission's decision. No final approval of the request was announced at the time of the meeting.
